The naval base is located between 2 towns: Rota, (which I posted pictures of last week) and El Peurto de Santa Maria. Rota is right outside the base gates, and Peurto is a few miles away. Yesterday, a new friend offered to show us how to get to Peurto. My husband was on call for work, but I jumped at the chance to get out of the house for a few hours.
Sidenote: being stuck in an empty house with 3 children and no car is NOT very fun. So I loaded up the kids, and off we went. Let me point out that I was driving an old Stick-shift BMW, and I learned how to drive stick precisely 5 days ago. So I was very proud that we made it to a completely new town about 20 minutes away! I did stall a couple times when I panicked at the base gate and/or got distracted by the kids in the back seat, but overall it was not too bad. And the trip was totally worth it! We went around 12:30, and I forgot that most Spanish restaurants don't open for lunch until 1PM at the earliest, but luckily my friend knew one that was open early. And what a place!
This was the view from the restaurant-- gorgeous beach, rolling waves, and an ancient crumbling wall. It looked like it could be Roman, but my friends said it was more likely Moorish-- the Spanish do not like the Moors very much, so they let their buildings crumble whereas Roman ruins are preserved for tourists. We had some delicious criossant sandwiches and "brushettas" for the kids (which were really personal pizzas). Then of course they had to go "dip their toes" in the ocean...
It seemed like a good idea, but since I didn't realize we would be on the beach, I didn't have towels or a change of clothes. Of course, Danny immediately went in too far, got wet shorts, and wanted to take them off. My friend assured me that the Spanish often let the boys play and swim completely naked, and the little girls just wear underwear, so I though it would be ok to remove Danny's shorts before they got completely soaked...
And the next thing I know, I turn around and Sophia is completely naked! She thought it was hilarious, my friends were amused but didn't mind at all, since their baby had also soaked her diaper and was now also butt naked, but I was slightly shocked and embarrassed. My kids have never undressed in public before! So, we got everyone dressed, cleaned up, and headed back home with some slightly damp and sandy, but very happy and excited children.
(The restaurant is on top of the cliff, on the far left.)
It was a thoroughly exhausting day. The kids stayed up beyond their normal naptime, and their giddy disobedience reflected that. I was so worn out from the sun, the stress of driving, and listening to their constant noise that I couldn't wait to get them down for naps! But... at the same time, I am glad we went. It was definitely a fun time, and a memory that I will treasure for a while. I think we will tend to remember the beautiful scenes and the fun moments more than the headaches and stress. So I will have to keep that in mind whenever we go somewhere new. Yes, it is always frustrating doing anything with 3 kids. But AFTERWARDS-- that night, the next day, or years from now, we will look back and be glad we did it all. So I will try to stay relaxed and enjoy it all, so that my family can enjoy each other!
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